


Not the Strangest Thing

by pyrrhical (anoyo)



Category: Merlin - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-10-06
Updated: 2009-10-06
Packaged: 2018-05-18 14:14:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5931385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anoyo/pseuds/pyrrhical
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Arthur wakes up to find Merlin in his bed, he is somewhat concerned. Not overly concerned, really, since this isn't the strangest thing they've done of late -- and isn't that a fun fact? -- but somewhat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not the Strangest Thing

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted 10/6/09 [here](http://ras-elased.livejournal.com/171086.html?thread=1599566#t1599566).
> 
>  **ETA** : 3/6/17 - I just realized there's a typo in the summary. The summary. Dear God was I even paying attention? Also it's eight years later. HAHAHA shoot me.

When Arthur wakes up to find Merlin in his bed, he is somewhat concerned. Not overly concerned, really, since this isn't the strangest thing they've done of late -- and isn't that a fun fact? -- but somewhat.

His first thought is to check for signs that his manservant has died and fallen into the bed, as that would be the least fortunate, and the immediately following thought is that, perhaps, he ought to just wake Merlin up and ask.

He shakes Merlin, taking hold of his shoulder a bit more roughly than intended, and waits for the other man to respond. "Merlin!" Arthur says, giving Merlin one last shake.

Merlin stirs, slowly, blinking at Arthur in some confusion. "Yes?" he asks, voice sleep-slow.

Rolling his eyes, Arthur asks, "Merlin, what are you doing in my bed?" Another thought occurs to him, and he continues, "And how did I get in my bed? Last I recall, I was on patrol!"

There is a long moment, as Arthur watches Merlin's eyebrows puzzle, then raise, then furrow in Merlin's own "well, crap" expression. 

When no response seems to be forthcoming, Arthur says again, in a voice he hopes is menacing, "Merlin."

"I suppose you won't believe you got hit on the head, will you?" Merlin asks, wincing.

"I have a noticeable lack of head pain, if that were the case," Arthur drawls, continuing to stare at Merlin in his menacing way. Arthur doesn't, however, add in the fact of his rather bizarre bed hair, which lowers the effectiveness of his glare by at least half.

"Well, I mean, you were hit on the head, just sort of softly, and I wasn't expecting you to pass out from it, but at least you're safe and everything, right?" Merlin asks, rambling.

Arthur, always a superior commander in battle, does not fight those he is losing. Assuming that, eventually, someone will tell him what really happened -- and it will probably be Merlin, since he seems to forget that he's hiding things most of the time -- and right now, the bigger issue is really Merlin being in his bed. "Yes, all right, but why are you in my bed?"

Another pause. Then, "I was really tired?" he tries. At Arthur's look of utter disbelief, Merlin continues to blurt out, "Look, there really isn't a good way to say that you were a little -- or more than a little -- out of it, and you kissed me, and really I would have been an absolutely horrible person if I'd just left you here." Flushing, Merlin continues, in the manner he always has when he knows he should stop, but his idiocy is getting in the way, "It would have been like kicking a puppy or something."

Now, Arthur has always considered himself a level-headed fellow, no matter what Merlin, or Morgana, or maybe any of his knights, might say. He takes a moment to consider whether, first, Merlin might be making this up, second, if it is secretly a holiday wherein pranks are played, and third, if quite a lot of alcohol might have been involved. He decides to ask, "Was there alcohol involved?" which causes Merlin to sputter rather incoherently for a moment.

"What? No! Though I'm really not sure what you got hit with, so I suppose it could have worked like alcohol. So. Maybe?"

"And I kissed you?" Arthur clarifies, running back over his list of possibilities. The fourth of which, apparently, is that Arthur really did kiss Merlin. Hopefully not in public. 

"Yes," Merlin says, nodding. "I was confused."

"Where?" Arthur asks, concerned that it may have been in public.

"In my head, obviously." Merlin gives Arthur a rather insulting look, and it takes Arthur a moment to realize that Merlin is, in fact, that much of an idiot.

"Where did I kiss you, Merlin, not where are you confused," Arthur says again, rather impatiently.

"Oh. Right." Merlin turns to point vaguely behind himself and toward Arthur's doorway. "Over there, I think."

"You think?"

"Well, you tried before that, but I was sort of busy trying to get you up the stairs without killing either of us, and you were out of it, or possibly drunk, since I hadn't thought of that being in there, so I suppose that would be where it actually counted. You're very persistent."

Arthur ignores the urge to hide his head under his pillow, possibly for the rest of his life, and manages, "Did I say anything?" 

Shaking his head, Merlin replies, "No, not really, other than 'stay here,' of course, after which you passed out in all your clothes, which made changing them much more difficult than it needed to be."

Upon looking, Arthur realizes that he is, in fact, dressed in his night things, which he supposes he ought to be grateful for, once he's figured out what is actually going on. Perhaps he's still a bit "out of it," as Merlin has said, because he asks, "Were you all right with this kissing?"

Merlin opens and closes his mouth a few times before saying, "Um. Is there a right answer to this question?"

This is not the strangest thing that they have done lately. Or, it could be, but Arthur doesn't precisely remember the last several hours, which, he thinks, absolves him of all potential strangeness. As he is Prince Arthur, this is in no way an excuse.

Arthur says, "Yes," and then leans over and kisses Merlin firmly on the mouth.


End file.
